Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-08-20

| and Dismay-An the Passengers and
Crew safely Taken OG-One ROas
Load Sail Away and are Missing
| QUEENSTOWN, Aug. 19.-The British
steamer York City, which left Baltimore
August 4 for London, arrived here this
morning with the passengers and crew of thu
Inman line steamer City of Montreal, which
sailed from New York on August for Liv-
erpool and was burned at sea on August II.
ALI were accounted for except thirteen per-
sons in missing boat. Soon after the
passengers had gone to bed on the night of
the 10th, the ship being in latitude 49, north
at the time, they were aroused by an alarm of
| fire. A scene of CONSERVATION ensued and
the passengers were greatly terrified when
they found out the true state of affairs. The
smoke caused by the fire was suffocating.
The passengers dressed and got on deck as
quickly as possible. The fire originated in
the cotton stored in the after main hold.
| Nine streams of water were soon working on
i the flames and the course of the vessel was
| shaped toward Newfoundland, four hundred
| miles distant. The flames spread with great
| rapidity and soon had burst with terrific
| force through the midway and after matches,
| the heat being intense. It becoming evident
that it was impossible to save the ship, mo-
mentary panic ensued. The boats were low
cred and the passengers and crew got in them.
The boats soon scattered and one entirely
vanished. This contained six of the crew
and seven passengers, and there is but little
doubt that the whole boat load persisted. The
boat did not contain full crew and left the
City of Montreal against the captains orders,
as there was time to take many more in it.
The other survivors consider the fate of the
occupants of the lost boat judgment for
their cowardice. A bark was sighted soon
after the boats left the steamer and her
crew were preparing to pick up the survivors,
when the steamer York City, attracted by
the flames from the burning vessel, which
were shooting up hundred feet in the air,
bore down and with difficulty took all hands
aboard. The rescued people were treated
with the utmost kindness by the captain and
crew of the York City and the passengers
speak with much feeling of the considera-
ton which was accorded to them. The York
City proceeded to London after land
ing the City of Nontreal's pas
sengers and crew here. The surviv-
ors are unanimous in declaring that
the officers and crew of the City of Mon treal
did their duty nobly and skilfully. The
names of those in the missing boat are: Pas
sengers-Samuel Kaufman, George G. Arnott,
Samuel Mckee, intermediate; Kenard Wool
ton, Stephen Tappan, Simon Rowtely, S.
Kathanowski, Storage Crew-Henry Fra.
Hughes trimmer), Charles Smith Gnterpre-
teri, Thomas Wilberforce (stsward). The
boats were eight in number, and consisted of
four lifeboats and four pinnaces. These
were launched and stocked with provisions.
The flames spread with great fereeness and
the efforts to quench them it
was soon found were futile. At eight
o'clock in the morning the passengers
were marshaled on deck preparatory to en-
tering the boats. Many of them were weep
ing, but on the whole they were quiet and
orderly. The family groups presented sight
pitiful to see as they huddled together in
fear and trembling. There was heavy sea
running and it was with great difficulty that
the boats were kept from being smashed.
The crew worked splendidly and all the pas
sengers were placed in the boats in a COM
paratively short time. How the boats foated
with their heavy loads is a miracle. AS the
last boat was putting off from the ship sew
eral of the passengers and crew were seen
aft. They had been overlooked and were
screaming to the boats to return. They were
subsequently bravely rescued. half dead from
the effects of the smoke and heat.
Captain Land, commander of the City of
Montreal makes the following report: On
the 10th inst. the wind was north to north
westerly. About o'clock of the evening of
that day fire was discovered in the after
hatch among the cotton. The fire hose was
at once connected and streams of water were
poured upon the flames. Annihilators, hand
grenades and fire extinguishers were freely
used. The fire, however, overcame all efforts
to suppress it and spread over the upper and
lower decks. The ship was doomed from the
beginning of the fire and the boats had been
actively prepared and provisioned. At 6
on the morning of the 18th the flames burst
through the after matches. The boats were
then lowered. There was a high sea at the
time and this caused much difficulty. The
women and children were first put aboard the
boats and the male passengers and the crew
| were embarked afterward. The lack of time
prevented the manning of the boats with
their respective crews, the men being COM
PEELED to continue until the last moment the
work of keeping the flames down. All the
boats left the ship safely, but by an
| unfortunate oversight twenty people were
left aboard the burning vessel. Boat No.
8 returned and took off six of the
number. Boat No. 4 with the fourth officer
took off six more. A barque was then re-
ported approaching and when all the boats
had put their people aboard her they re-
turned and took off those remaining on the
burning steamer. 1t was found that boat
No. was missing. She was seen to put
| herself before the wind when she left the
| ship, using her oars in support of the sails.
She ran away from the vessel in direct dis
! obedience to the captains orders. The &C
ton of the occupants was most cowardly.
Every body spent the night aboard the Ger
| man barque Trabsnt, Captain Sehiel, from
Charleston, July Oath, for London, and all
| were then transferred to the York City,
| which stayed by throughout the night and
vainly searched for the missing boat. Cap
tain Land is sanguine that the people in
boat Ne. 8 are saved as the acct
| dent occurred in the track of steamers
| bound east and west. The passengers, he
| added, were cool and obedient during the
crisis and the crew steady. The passengers
/ and crew lost everything they had aboard
the City of Montreal except what they stood
/ in when they went into the boats. The
origin of the fire Is unknown. 1t broke out
in several places among the cotton 1t is i'm.
Captain Binn, of the steamer York City, who
| shared his property, Clothes. etc., with the
| rescued passengers and gave them every COM
| fort he could. The smoke and heat of the
| burning steamer almost ruined the eyes of
| myself, the chief officer and others, and
we were5all purblind for sometime. The
| chief officer had to be led to the
boat. He suffered terribly and remained
blind for two days. The rescued passengers
and crew when landed at Queenstown by the
York City we're in pitiable condition. The
Inman company's agent at once forwarded
all of the passengers who were prepared to
| continue their travels and did everything
| possible for the comfort of the rest. The
| steamship Marathon of the Cunard company's
feet will sail in place of the City of Mon
| treal on Tuesday next.
The captain of the bark Trabant undertook
to cruise around after the York City left the
| scene of the burning. There is, therefore,